Half of a Yellow Sun is a (fictional) historical drama set in Nigeria in the 1960s, with special focus on the Nigerian civil war and the break-away state Biafra.
Here is some basic information about this drama which premiered in 2013:
** Writer and director: Biye Bandele
** Based on a book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
** Available on DVD and via Amazon Prime Video
** Run time: 111 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Thandiwe Newton as Olanna – twin sister of Kainene
** Chiwetel Ejiofor as Odenigbo – a professor – Olanna’s boyfriend
** Anika Noni Rose as Kainene – twin sister of Olanna
** Joseph Mawle as Richard – an English reporter – Kainene’s boyfriend
** John Boyega as Ugwa – Odenigbo’s houseboy
** Onyeka Onwenu as Mama – Odenigbo’s mother
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 1977) is a famous Nigerian author whose book Half of a Yellow Sun was published in 2006. The drama is based on this book, which was praised by critics as well as readers.
While the characters are fictional, they are placed in a historical context. Archive footage is used throughout the drama. Short black-and-white clips about events in Nigeria and statements by prominent persons.
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say too much about what happens in this drama. But I have to mention a few details in order to explain and justify my rating.
The story, which follows a chronological line, is divided into two parts:
** Part one - ca 55 minutes - covers the time 1960-1967. This is the time from Nigeria’s independence in 1960 to the beginning of the civil war in 1967.
** Part two - ca 55 minutes - covers the time 1967-1970. This is the time of the Nigerian civil war and the establishment of the break-away state Biafra.
Here is how the story begins:
We are in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, and the year is 1960. The two leading characters are the twin sisters Olanna and Kainene, whose father is very rich.
He is so rich that he can afford to send his daughters abroad to study at a foreign university.
Olanna studied at Oxford in the UK, while Kainene studied at Yale in the US. Having completed their studies, both daughters have returned home just in time to attend the celebration of Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
But the twins are not going to stay in Lagos:
Olanna explains that she will go to Nsukka where she will teach sociology at the local university.
Kainene explains that she will go to Port Harcourt where she will manage her father’s businesses.
This is how the story begins. And this is where my presentation ends. If you wish to know what happens to Olanna and Kainene, you will have to watch the drama – or read the book – all the way to the end.
What about the title?
What does it mean?
The title of the drama (and the book) is a reference to the flag of the short-lived break-away state Biafra in the southeast corner of Nigeria.
The flag has three horizontal stripes. From the top: red, black, and green. In the middle of the black stripe there is one half of a yellow sun. Is it rising or setting? I guess we have to think it is rising and not setting.
In part two about the civil war, there is a brief moment when this flag is shown. If you pay attention, you will notice the yellow half of the sun in the middle of the flag and you will understand the title of the drama. But nobody talks about the flag and what it means. The title of the drama is never explained in any way.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Here are the results of three review aggregators:
** 36 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 51 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
** 51 percent = Meta (the critics)
** 62 percent = Meta (the audience)
** 61 percent = IMDb
As you can see, the ratings are not impressive. When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a gap between the general audience and the professional critics. The critics like it more than the audience, but both groups offer a low rating.
When you look at Meta, you can see that there is a gap between the audience and the critics. But this time, the situation is reversed: this time, the audience likes it more than the critics, but both groups offer a low rating.
All these ratings are rather poor. They correspond to something like two or three stars on Amazon.
Many reviewers say the book is much better than the movie. Unfortunately, this is often the case when a book is adapted for the screen.
On Amazon there are at the moment 320 ratings of this product, 233 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent. Here are the details:
5 stars = 70 percent
4 stars = 13 percent
3 stars = 8 percent
2 stars = 4 percent
1 star = 4 percent
A large majority is positive: 83 percent offer four or five stars. A small minority is negative: 8 percent offer only one or two stars.
If you ask me, the average rating on Amazon is too high. The poor ratings mentioned above are fully justified.
This drama is fatally flawed. Here are some reasons to support this statement:
# 1. Olanna says she will teach at the university in Nsukka, but we never see her teaching. She is there for seven years. Not a single class!
# 2. Kainene says she will manage her father’s businesses in Port Harcourt, but we never see her do any work. She is there for seven years. Not a single business meeting!
# 3. Part one (which covers the time 1960-1967) is about the two couples and their ups and downs. There is nothing about the internal problems of Nigeria. Nothing about internal conflicts that will lead to civil war in 1967.
# 4. Part two (which covers the time 1967-1970) is about the Nigerian civil war, but there is no information about how and why the Republic of Biafra was proclaimed and established.
# 5. When the civil war begins in 1967, the drama changes from a poor romantic drama to a poor action movie. Then, all of a sudden, there is a message: the war is over. But how and why did this happen? Again, there is no information! There is no explanation!
# 6. The drama is set in Africa and the main topic is the Nigerian civil war. It was filmed in Nigeria.
What about the two leading actors?
Are they from Nigeria?
No!
Thandiwe Newton is a British actress, while Anika Noni Rose is an American actress.
This could and should have been a great movie, because it is based on a book that was praised by critics as well as readers. Unfortunately, it is not.
It is fatally flawed and this is why it deserves a rating of two stars (40 percent).
PS # 1. Thandiwe Newton (born 1972) has recently explained that her name was misspelled as Thandie Newton in the credits to her first movie in 1991.
As a result, the wrong version of her first name was used for three decades.
In 2021, she announced that she was from now on going to use her original name which is Thandiwe Newton.
PS # 2. For more information about Nigeria and the Biafra war, see the following items:
There Was a Country:
A Personal History
by Chinua Achebe
(2013)
Biafra’s War 1967-1970:
A Tribal Conflict in Nigeria that Left a Million Dead
by Al J. Venter
(Hardcover 2016)
(Paperback 2018)
*****
Half of A Yellow Sun
A historical drama
(2013)
*****
Half of a Yellow Sun
A historical novel
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
(2006)
*****
The famous Nigerian author
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
(born 1977)
*****
Half of a Yellow Sun
The flag of Biafra
1967-1970
*****
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